The present invention relates to an endoscope and, more particularly to an electronic endoscope apparatus having a solid-state image sensor at its distal end.
In the conventional electronic type endoscopes that have a solid-state image sensor at the distal end, the image signals output by the sensor are supplied to a video processor through a cable connecting the sensor to the video processor. The video processor processes these signals. The processed signals are input to a monitor, which displays the endoscopic image of the region interest which has been scanned by the solid-state sensor. The number of pixels required in a specific type of an endoscope is different from the number required in another type of an endoscope. Hence, when various types of endoscopes are used, various types of video processors must be used in combination with the respective endoscopes. Such system, therefore, requires a plurality of video processors, so that it is not only expensive, but also is difficult to operate. For the same reason, the system occupies a great space.